Chapter 38: Returning to the Capital

Su Xiaogu swung her stick down, striking Su Huailin, who let out a muffled grunt.

However, Su Xiaogu felt a jolt from head to toe, as if she had been splashed with a bucket of cold water. Suddenly alert, she glanced at her younger brother Su Jianguo’s expression and then worriedly asked, “Huailin, are you alright?”

Su Huailin stood up, shaking off the dust from his clothes, and shot Su Xiaogu a cold glance. “Xiaogu, it’s fine if you hit me, but you can’t hit my sister.”

Su Nianmei was taken aback and thought to herself: how had Su Huailin, who usually confronted everything and everyone, suddenly changed his tone?

Su Xiaogu was straightforward. “She got pregnant before marriage, ruining the reputation of our Su family. What’s wrong with hitting her? Hitting her is already lenient. This child is nothing but a bastard. In the past, both mother and child would have been drowned in a pig cage.”

Gu Xiaobao’s face changed dramatically.

Su Nianmei felt a pang in her heart. She did not care how others spoke about her, but that was unacceptable when it came to the child.

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Before Su Nianmei could speak, Su Huailin interjected.

Su Xiaogu let out a loud “Eek!”

Gu Xiaobao suddenly lunged forward and bit Su Xiaogu’s hand.

Su Xiaogu swung her hand to hit Gu Xiaobao on the head.

Su Nianmei immediately rushed forward to block Su Xiaogu’s hand.

The three of them became entangled in a brawl.

“Be quiet!” Su Jianguo stood nearby, watching as his sister and daughter fought.

Su Huailin stepped in to protect his sister, one hand pressing against his aunt. At the same time, the other pulled his little nephew, struggling to separate them.

Su Jianguo’s expression darkened. “Su Nianmei! How can you be so disrespectful?”

Su Huailin tugged at Su Jianguo’s arm and shouted, “Dad!”

Su Nianmei rubbed Gu Xiaobao’s head, feeling a bit distressed. “I’m not being disrespectful. My aunt not only scolded me but also hit my child in front of me. Is that acceptable?”

Su Xiaogu continued, “You first acted promiscuously. I’m just teaching you a lesson for the sake of our Su family’s reputation. Yet, this wild child is now throwing a tantrum at me.”

Gu Xiaobao hung his head and shouted, “I am my Dad’s child! I’m not some wild kid! I won’t allow you to say such things about my Mom!”

Su Nianmei had never seen Gu Xiaobao like this before; the child trembled, his face pale.

Su Xiaogu continued to fan the flames. “You are your Dad’s child but you’realso a wild child without a mother. I absolutely won’t allow someone like you to enter our Su family’s door.”

The sharp, piercing voice echoed in Su Nianmei’s ears, and she felt as if she had returned to the past, where people had pointed at her and cursed her as a “wild child, a kid without a dad or mom.”

Her hand trembled lightly as she raised it and, with a loud “slap,” struck Su Xiaogu’s face.

Her voice was low and firm. “Get lost!”

Su Nianmei picked up Gu Xiaobao and kissed his forehead.

Just like that person from her previous life had done.

She hugged Gu Xiaobao tighter and said, “It’s okay, Mom is here. Both Dad and Mom are here.”

Gu Xiaobao clung to Su Nianmei’s neck, rubbing his nose against her collarbone.

Su Huailin mediated the situation and sent Su Nianmei and Gu Xiaobao back home.

After that incident, Su Nianmei didn’t take Gu Xiaobao with her; she left him at the Gu family’s home.

Out of respect for Old Madam Su, she decided to wait for the funeral to conclude, and on her way back to the Gu family, she unexpectedly encountered Lin Aiqiu.

Lin Aiqiu was dressed decently today, wearing a crisp white mourning outfit. Her eyes sparkled, appearing more vibrant than before.

Su Nianmei didn’t want to argue with Lin Aiqiu, so she glanced over and prepared to act as if she hadn’t seen her.

But Lin Aiqiu took a few steps forward and grabbed Su Nianmei’s hand. “What’s wrong? You see me and don’t even call me Mom?”

Su Nianmei looked up at Lin Aiqiu and moved her lips but said nothing.

Lin Aiqiu patted her shoulder, surprisingly refraining from scolding her. “I also know about the commotion you caused at the ancestral hall with your aunt.”

“As someone who has been through it, I want to remind you: once a man has a child, it means he has had other women before,” Lin Aiqiu said.

“If you’re smart, you can turn a blind eye. He can treat you well, but he can also treat other women well. If that woman is dead, it’s fine, but if she’s still alive, there will always be a connection between her and Gu Xichao. That’s something you can’t compete with.”

Su Nianmei replied, “I trust him.”

Lin Aiqiu chuckled. “You’re still too young, girl. Men are like cats who love to stray. Trust or distrust, love or not love—it’s all just a matter of perspective. I hope you can live a little better because that’s the only way our entire Su family can live comfortably.”

Su Nianmei scoffed. “I used to do my best for you all, but the way the Su family has acted is truly disheartening. I only hope that we can go our separate ways in the future with no debts between us.”

Though Su Nianmei spoke with firmness, her heart sank. It felt as if someone had hit a sore spot, and her legs felt heavy, as if they were filled with lead as she walked back.

She believed in Gu Xichao but didn’t dare challenge human nature.

Lin Aiqiu squinted her eyes. That stubborn girl thought her gratitude for raising her was easy to repay. Only if this girl lived well would Lin Aiqiu be able to extract some benefits for her precious children to enjoy a good life.

Today, she kindly reminded the girl, yet the girl was ungrateful. Lin Aiqiu thought she would have her fair share of suffering in the future.

After dealing with matters at her old home and returning to the capital, Su Nianmei felt a knot in her heart.

It had been a few days since she and Gu Xiaobao returned to the capital, but Gu Xichao had not come home. The only visitors were Huo Guangchuan.

Sometimes, Gu Xichao would come home briefly but only say a few words before leaving again.

She felt frustrated, her mind drifting back to Lin Aiqiu’s words. Initially, she hadn’t intended to listen. Still, now an indescribable agitation pressed down on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

When Gu Xichao returned home, he saw Su Nianmei sitting in a chair, holding a pen in her hand, her gaze cast downward as if lost in thought. The pen slipped from her fingers, falling onto the paper with a “thud.”

As Su Nianmei bent down to pick up the pen, she looked up and saw Gu Xichao standing in the doorway of the study.

The man seemed even more charming than before, wearing a fitted military uniform that hugged his frame perfectly and black leather boots on his feet. He draped a coat over his right arm and waved at Su Nianmei.

Su Nianmei’s heart skipped a beat. She picked up the pen, suppressing her nervousness, and said, “You’re back!”

Gu Xichao noticed Su Nianmei sitting straight, with her legs neatly together, looking obedient. He responded with a simple “Mm” and said, “I wasn’t too busy today.”

Su Nianmei placed the pen on the table, stood up, and said, “Xiaobao is asleep, and there’s some rice left in the pot. I’ll heat it up for you.”

Gu Xichao replied, “Okay.”

He had initially wanted to say he wasn’t hungry, but seeing his wife’s eager expression made it difficult to voice that “no.”

As he stood up, his leg accidentally bumped against the chair, causing his foot to hit the leg of the chair. Su Nianmei immediately covered her foot.

Gu Xichao hurried over to massage her foot. Before he could even touch it, tears welled up in Su Nianmei’s eyes, hanging on the brink of spilling over, which made him feel heartbroken.

He reached out to pull off her shoe.

But Su Nianmei clutched her shoe tightly.

“I’m not hurt,” she said, rolling her eyes as she tried to will her tears back.

Gu Xichao observed her stubborn demeanor and gently touched her face.

His rough, warm fingers glided across Su Nianmei’s cheek.

Su Nianmei’s eyelashes fluttered.

A few drops of tears rolled down her cheeks and landed in the space between Gu Xichao’s thumb and index finger.

They felt icy yet somehow burned his hand, causing him to tremble slightly.

His voice came out soft and tender, laced with affection. “Good girl, good.”

In an instant, Su Nianmei felt her strength drain away, and her grip loosened.

Gu Xichao gently coaxed her, successfully slipping off her shoe.

Once he removed her sock, he saw her round, white toes bruised darkly.

He lightly touched them and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Su Nianmei sharply inhaled, a “tch” escaping her lips. She wasn’t normally this sensitive and didn’t know why she felt so fragile today.

“Be more careful next time; stop being so clumsy,” Gu Xichao said, rubbing her toes gently.

Su Nianmei replied with a soft “Oh” and lowered her gaze, finally noticing that Gu Xichao was half-kneeling on the ground.

He looked serious.

She turned her head away in silence, her thoughts drifting back to how he had once treated other women so well.

A pang of sorrow welled up in her heart.